Worcester: W, 16-1 (BOX SCORE)
I’ve gushed a lot about Allan Castro’s propensity to put bat to ball in the last few weeks, but it was on full display Friday night as the WooSox walloped the Bulls (Rays AAA) 16-1. Almost half of those runs driven in were off the bat of Castro as the 23-year-old switch-hitting outfielder had a home run and his two doubles, bringing his slugging percentage this month to .709. He also helped Braiden Ward’s numbers shine.
There is some buzz that, with the team’s biggest baserunning threat in Eli White going to the injury list and in all likelihood ending his season with a torn ligament via the steel of the Angels’ wall, a guy who has stolen 61 bases in the minors might get some time up in the Majors during a point in the season where he must perform. But, all the 27-year-old return for Brennan Bernardino did Friday was go 5-for-5, score each of the five times he reached base, steal two more bases and hit his 6th home run of the season. It’s quite possible Ward’s use on the team may be tested in the coming week, and even though any possible exchange with Nate Eaton (or maybe Andruw Monasterio) would be mostly a call based on Ward’s speed, it helps that Ward has been hitting well, too.
On a night when the WooSox had six batters haul extra-base hits and Castro drive in seven, they also benefitted from Michael Sansone having probably his best start of the season. The 26-year-old out of Cheshire, Connecticut made it through six innings and gave up just one hit, a triple, and a sacrifice fly directly after that three-bagger scored Sansone’s only baserunner allowed all night. At that point, though, the WooSox were up 12-0 and so the lead shrinking to eleven likely wasn’t a huge concern. If the season wasn’t about to end he almost certainly would have had the green light to tread even deeper into the game with a monumental lead. It was a great way for a guy who struggled in both Double-A and Triple-A to finish the season. Wins like this surely raise the morale for some players who have been up and down in multiple different ways in 2026.
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